Fire at London airport: all flights cancelled, including flights from Budapest

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A fire broke out in a car park at London Luton Airport on Wednesday night, causing it to partially collapse. Air traffic at the airport, north of the British capital, was suspended until midday on Wednesday.

Flights from Budapest are also affected. Wizz Air operates several daily scheduled flights from Liszt Ferenc International Airport to Luton, the first of which departs in the morning.

According to the fire department, a vehicle caught fire on the upper level of car park no. 2 near the passenger hall. The flames quickly spread to several other cars, Index reports.

According to information received early Wednesday morning, fifteen units are involved in the extinguishing. However, half of the building has been completely engulfed by fire and the upper structure has collapsed over a large area.

Firefighters worked to prevent the fire from spreading to the interior of the airport, the report said.

The airport said in an early morning statement that all flights to Luton were suspended until 12 noon UK time on Wednesday (13:00 CET). Early morning arrivals were diverted to other UK airports including Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and Gatwick.

Rescuers transported four firefighters and one airport employee to hospital for smoke inhalation. Luton is one of the five major international airports serving London, with more than 13 million passengers last year.

The airport has undergone significant development and expansion in recent years, including the construction of the new car park, which is now partially burnt down.

These exclusive pictures from Luton Airport Carpark Fire #LutonAirport I’ll be live on @BBCBreakfast reporting on the latest from 6am. pic.twitter.com/XMk4waZijF

— Greg McKenzie (@GregMcTweets) October 11, 2023